Application of sheets to printing machines



March 5, 1929. w. MAILAENDER APPLICATION OF SHEETS TO PRINTING MACHINESFiled Feb. 16, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l FllL Ruil mv t @u @i f1; JTIJ I L DA N. l) t [y lfi- A ,im

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March 5, 1929. MAILAENDER APPLICATION OF SHEETS TO PRINTING MACHINESFiledl Feb` 15, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 WVM/70A' r 'Ma/hander March 5,1929. w. MAILAENDER APPLICATION OF SHEETS TO PRINTING MACHINES FiledFeb. 16. 1927 4 sheets-sheet 5 m W; V W

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APPLICATION OF SHEETS TO PRINTING MCI-HINPIS4 Filed Feb. 16, 1927 4Sheets-Sheet 4 (an f /A/l/fA/TOH I W Ma//Qe/vdr Patented Mai'. 5, 1929.

APPLICATION orV Si-inn'is TQ'PRINTI'NG MAoi-iiNns.

Application'nledFebruary 16, 1927*, Serial No, 168,722, and in GermanyDecember V18, 1926.

This invention relates to vapparatus for use in applying metal sheetsto'printing inacliines which apparatus automatically engages theindividually advanced. sheets vand automatically leads them to thegrippei's of the printingniachine.v Y v ln contradistinctionto'apparatus heretofore known .ioi' use in applying metal sheets aconsiderable increase in efficiency is obtained by the apparatus of thepresent invention. Further the printing is eifected by the apparatus o:t the present inventionindependent of' the operator and his care orat-.

tention. rlhis is of considerablel importance because it has a bearingon the product of the whole plant more particularly in the case ofmulti-colour work where it is necessary should the operator be lchanged.to secure perfect accuracy in nu According to the present inventionacarriage is arranged 'to reciprocate continuously between the printingmachine and the support the said carriage having grippeis whichautomatically engage the uppermost print-.

ing sheet removed from the lsupport and in-V troduce it to the printingmachine. whereit is again automatically freed by thegrippers andprecautions taken in order to release the sheet positively. Thegrippingarrangement may be provided with mechanical grippers or thegripping arrangement may be of an electromagnetic nature' the latterresulting in a more simple arrangement in so fares thesti'ip'- persnecessitated by mechanical grippers and their improvement can beomitted.V Further the sheet table can be brought nearer to thepositioning' devices or marks of the printing machine.

In order that the inventioiiinay be clearlyl understood and readilycarried intol effect,

reference is made to the accompanying ydrawings which showdiagrammaticallygand.by way of example, apparatusin accordance withtlie. present invention..

Figure l is aside elevation of the applying apparatus `such Vparts as.are irrelevantto the invention being omitted.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the gripping carriage in its endposition`in the printing machine, and a gripping arrangement in the openposition. l

Figures 3 and 4 are aside elevation and plan respectivelyof the grippingarrangement itself.-

vment is of` a magnetic nature.

Figure` 7 shows jin sideview the arranoe- Ament of the positionin'g'orapplying marks.

Figure 8 is a plan. Figures 9 to 11,'show diagramniatically successivestages of theinethod of Working. A metallic printing sheet l lies in aknown manner which is unillustrated o n a support, right hand side ofFigure l, and by this .is mechanically removed fi-o mthe` uppermostsheet and led to a cylinder 2 .of the printing machine.

This transference of the Sheet l 'is new undertaken by ineans'ofagripper'carriage 3, which constantly recipi'ocates betweenv theprinting machine and the aforesaid support. The aforesaid grippercarriagecaivries the gripping deviceswhich engageand take with them theuppermost'inetallic sheet from thesiipport. The gripper carriage 3 is soformed that its extreme width is greater than that of the support butsmaller than that of the printing machine. VThe gripper carriagey 3 isieciprocated in a horizontal path by an eccentric 4.-,or example bymeans.l of levers 5 and lrods 5f?, and 5b respectively, and according tothe invention in such manner that the carriage 3 remains momentarilystationary at bothjend points of its travel, viz

at the supportand at the printing machine.

At the support the carriage ySiemains sta-- tionary untilpositioningdevices 6, whichv limit the advance of the uppermost sheet l in theremoval from the support and its advance, have completely cleared `the'path for .the travel of the sheet l, .wherebyjthey become swungdownwardly according-to the y invention, Figure 1.- Stoppagc' near the'printing machine endures until 'the delivered*-l nietal sheet l has beenfreed from the gripping arrangement andfallen whereafterit i lies on.the applying`v table 7 of theprinting machine, so that the patlifortliex-returii movement of the carriage Sito the support isagainfree.v '.The sheet lylying on the table is then pushed at the propertime and in known manner onto the positioning'device marks 29 bythelifting movement of side and rearwardly arranged;v thrust rolleisaswell as side devices whereon it can beseized. by the. impactfgrippers'8 and brought-between the printing cylinders 2.

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above onto thev printing sheet 1 to be introduced into theprintingmachine. In the construction of a mechanical workingA gripperarranger-nent illustrated in Figures 1 to: the sheet 1 lies on an uppersupport 10 which forms the head of an arm 11 rigidly supported on thecarriage 3 both sides of' which arepprovid'ed with grippers 9. Thesepre'ss'thesheetlonto thefrontedge of the support 10Y so that they aretaken Vup by the carriage 3.

The arrn ll'Fig'ure 8., is thrust off bydevices mounted'on twocrossmembers 1:2 eX- tending' over thel applying table 7 whichconnect'the sidfeparts of the carriage 8 and lie over the applying table7. The axis 13 of the vgripper beto-re these cross members 12 in thecar- Y ria-ge 8 so that a very simple low construction The arms 11 onthe under siderli` results. adjacent tothe sheet l'di'minish toward thesupport' 10. VA'certain unobjectionable en-V gagemento the sheet 1 isthus ensured in so far that they embrace und'ulatory arched sheets inthel return movement of the carriage 8l to the sup-port. By the specialfor.

mationV of the under supportingv arm 11 the lsheet tables 1 are pressedindependently of their form against the sheet applying supe port so thatthe gripping arrangement need only open afew mi-llimetres to embrace the.by a locking device which consists of; a

sheet which can there-fore in anarched poi sition be positioned onl'thesupport 10 without injury. v-

rFhe-closure'of the gripper arrangement,

that is the positioning of the gripper 9 on the sheet l'lying on thesupport 1t)7 is fected by a helical springl which is Xed atene end oi"the carriage 3 and at the other end to a lever 16 mounted von lthegripper axis 13. The spring 15 constantly tends to draw the`lever'16towards itself, that is to say to` close the gripper 9. Thisisfprevented in the opened gripping arrangement ger 17 which abutsagainst the proje 18 of an arm-19 mounted on the grip aXis. 13:, so asto hold the gripper arra ment open. In order to release the loclindevice the finge-r 17 is termed asa doublearmed or bell crank Ylever 20which is loosely rotatable on abolt A21 andis con- 9 is supported Ystantly drawn upward into engagement with the projection 18 by a spring22. "The release is eitected'in such manner that the upwardly inclinedfree arm. et the lever 20 which carries a roller 23 at the end movestherewith against a Xed stop 241` on the support. It is thus forcedupwardly and the lever 20-'is so positively swungthat the ratchet inger17 is released from the pro" jection 18 by the action oft the thereby,tensioned spring'22. The spring 15 now acts and positions the gripper 9on the sheet l vlying on the support 10.: This closure of.

the gripping arrangement occurs by reason of the preengagement of theaforesaid devices. f

The release of .the engaged sheet introduced to the printing machine,that is the preopening` oi? the gripper arrangement is eilected' by anarm 25 having a roller 26 mounted on the gripper axis .9. This roller 26runs against a 1iXed stop 27 The arm is Ytherefore presser downwardlyand the a'Xis 13 swung so that the gripper- 9" is raised; Further theleve-r 19`vis` also yswung and in such manner that the finger 17 fallsinto the projection 18. The parts are thus arrangement, until thecarriage again -returns to the` support.

In order to ensure that the sheetv 1 becornes disengaged fromthefgripp'erarrangementya separate stripper 28 can beV provi-ded whichis mountedl on the axis o1 the usual' positioning or marking axis 29 ofthe machine, Figure 77 or the positioning marks 29 oFigure 1 can be usedtherefor. YIn the con-v struction illustrated in Figures 5 and G thesupp-erts 10- arereplaced by magnetic grip# pers 9. For this. purposetheyform the cor-eser. polel pieces of an electric magnet 31. They areconstructed proportionatelv wide in order that they may have an areasufficiently large tol pickv up vand retain the sheet with certainty.The gripper'l 9 in the present arrangement is incunted ena-n' avis 1850ibronze or like non-niagneticn material respectively on a steel bush 32Wlrichvserves for transmission-ot 'the magnetic 'flux between twoadjacent gripper-magnets.

The grippers 8'are energized before thev per 9 after rupture of vtheelectric current.

Further a separate stripper 28 may be again provided as before.- y f Y dThe movement of the gripperj9`f is here limited by an adjustable screwstop 34'Which Vdisposed in the open position of thegripper Vis arrangedon the carriage 3 and serves in the engagement of the gripper`9 as astop for the lever 16. Y j

There may be any number of the co-operating gripper arrangements asfound most convenient.

lVhat l claim is v j l. Apparatus for transi'crring printing sheets'from a table to a printing machine comprising a carriage, grippers onsaid carriage, said grippers including means for embracing the "forwardedge of a Vsheet as it lies upon the table, said moans beingconstructedto hold said sheet, means fory automatically causing saidgrippers to release the sheet at a determined position of the latterrelative to the cylinder the printing machine, and means for causing thecarriage to remain momentarily stationary at a point just prior to itsreaching the `eX- treme end positions o'l its range o'l travel.

2.` Apparatus for transferring printing sheets from a table to aprinting machine comprisinga carriage, gripper-s on said carriage, saidgrippers includingmeans vfor embracinfw the forward ed `e ol? a sheet as1t .lies upon the table, said means being constructedV to hold saidsheet, means iior automatically causing said grippers to release` thesheet at a determined position of the vlatter relative to the cylinderol the printing machine7 means for causing the carriage to remainmomentarily stationary at a point just prior to its reaching the extremeend positions of its range o'l travel and a support for said grippermechanismy including van upwardly extending arm, cross pieces upon whichsaid support bears, said grippers being formed by a lever Whose fulcrumylies in iront of said cross pieces.

Apparatus for transferring printing sheets from a'table to a printingmachine port for said gripper mechanism including an upwardly extendingarm, cross pieces upon which said supportbears, said grippers beingformed by a lever whose ulcrum lies in -ifi-ont of said cross pieces,the underside of said support diminishing inja direction toward thegrippers, and being formed so as to function as an introducing hook forreceiving the sheet `from the table-and transi terr-ing itto saidcarriage.

el. Apparatus for transferring printing 'sheets from a table to aprinting machine comprising a carriage, grippers on said carriage, saidgrippers including means for lembracing the 'forward edge ot asheet asit lies upon the table, said means being'constructed to hold said sheet,means for automatically causing said grippersto release the.

sheet at adetermined position oit' the latter :relative to the cylinderof the print-ing machine7V means-'tor causing the carriage to remainmomentarily stationary at a point just prior to the reaching the extremeend positions ot its range ot travel and a support lor said grippermechanism including an upwardly extendingv arm, cross pieces upon whichsaid support bears,'said grippers rbeving formed by a lever whosefulcrum'lies in Vfront of said crosspieces, the underside of saidsupport diminishing in a direction toward the grippers, and being formedso as vto Vi'uncti'on an introducing hook 'for receiving the sheet from,the table and trans- Yh-"rring it to said carriage,and strlpperslprovided on the printing machine for removing the sheetlrom thecarriage.

o. Apparatus for transferring printing sheets Jrom a table to a printingmachine comprising a carriage, grippers on said carsaid grippersincluding means for embracing the forward edge of a sheet as itY liesupon the table, said means being con-` structed to hold said sheet,means for auto-` matically causing said grippers to release the sheetata determined position of the laty ter relative to the cylinder ,oftheprinting machine, means for causing the carriage to remain momentarilystationary at ap oint just prior to the reaching the extreme endpositions-of its range. ottravely and a sup-l i port ior said grippermechanism including an u-pw'ardlyl extending arm, crossk pieces uponwhich said support bears,l said grippers being'ftormed by a lever whosefulcrum 'liesin tronto?. said cross pieces, the underside o said supportdiminishing in a direction toward the grippers, and being v formed so asto function as an introducing hoolr tor receiving the sheetl from thetable and transi'ierring it to said carriage, and strippers provided outhe printing machine Yfor removing `'the sheet from the carriage,

said support being provided with position-- ing marks, adapted to swingAdownwardly with'said support and similar marksvk on the 'printingmachine by which Ythe swing' of said support is controlled.A lntestimony whereof l aliiX my signa- L v A t Lure. y l

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